PLANET held its 16th annual Renewal & Remembrance project at Arlington National Cemetery on July 9. The event brings hundreds of Green Industry Pros together to honor America’s fallen heroes by helping to make the hallowed grounds even more beautiful.
Year are some facts about this year’s event:
- 422 participants (including 48 children) donated their time to the one-day event
- 82 companies represented – including landscaping companies, equipment manufacturers, chemical and fertilizer manufacturers, and distributors
- 29 states represented
- 66 tons of lime applied to 150 acres
- 35 acres of turf aerated
- 100 native grasses and 50 native perennials planted
- Five trees pruned, cabled and braced
- Lighting protection for eight trees
- Irrigation system upgrades
According to Norman Goldenberg, current PLANET president and senior vice president of TruGreen, the hardest part of Renewal & Remembrance has nothing to do with the physical labor involved. It has to do with the fact that PLANET has to turn so many additional volunteers away because the event already has as many volunteers as Arlington National Cemetery will allow.
Over the 16-year history of Renewal & Remembrance, PLANET has contributed more than $2 million. This year’s “gift” was valued at more than $200,000.
Corporate sponsors included: New Holland, Dow, Imerys, Agrium Advanced Technologies, The Andersons, Bartlett Tree Experts, BASF, CNA Insurance, PBI/Gordon, Schiller Grounds Care, Scotts Lawn Service, Snapper Pro, Stihl, Syngenta, Gravely (Ariens), Bayer and John Deere.